No one knew how long it had been. These dogs had been chattering for ages, recounting everything from the moment they entered Hell to their sentencing and transfer to the Dog-Eater's Purgatory. Throughout it all, I never noticed anything amiss—until this old dog encountered his nemesis.
I’d heard rumors about the Animal Realm. Back when I fell into Hell, the idle gossip of the Hell's Registrars gave me some clues: In the Animal Realm, many of those enforcing punishment are animal spirits. Whether they possess intelligence, I can’t say for sure, but from what these guys described, the dog spirit that tormented them certainly did.
"After that, the torment became unbearable. I still feel sick thinking about it. Every day, we were mauled by a pack of mad dogs—our bodies torn apart, our organs ripped out and chewed to pieces. It happened again and again, each time more agonizing than the last. In the end, we decided to break out. Back then, we still looked human. We waited until the Hell's Registrars were drunk, subdued the vicious hounds, and escaped. We deserved our punishment, but because we’d all dealt with dogs before, we knew how to handle them. We ran straight into a cave where the hounds were kept. We’d observed it earlier; though we didn’t know where it led, we could hear water inside."
I stared in shock, eyes wide.
"And then?"
The old dog continued: After entering the winding, twisting tunnels underground, they found a river. They didn’t know where it flowed, but followed its banks, hoping to find a way out.
But before the group of spirits could find an exit, they were caught by the pursuing Hell's Registrars—one of whom was a Hell Judge. They were forced into the Blackwater River, and when they resurfaced, they’d turned into dogs. After a savage beating, they were thrown into the cycle of reincarnation. When they regained consciousness, they were wandering the wilderness. Only years later did they learn this was the Animal Realm, where countless spirits waited for their chance at rebirth.
Now, as dogs, they could only stick together and try to survive in the Animal Realm. Back then, food was still plentiful, so they learned to hunt and barely scraped by. All they hoped for was a chance at reincarnation. But unlike the other animals in the Animal Realm, they aged—and no matter how much they ate, they were always hungry, growing thinner and weaker by the day.
When they realized they might never get a chance at rebirth and could fall into the Hungry Ghost Realm, despair set in. They tried to join an orderly town, but found themselves useless there and were promptly driven out.
In the end, all they could do was wander the wilds for decades, barely surviving. Most of these dogs were now old—their fur white and gray, their bodies frail. Even after eating the food I’d given them, their ghostly energy didn’t increase at all, which truly surprised me.
As for why they were sent here, I couldn’t figure it out. Maybe John Chou could make sense of it. For now, I could only keep them alive.
"Alright, just stick with me."
One thing puzzled me: after being thrown into the Blackwater River, as they described, they emerged as dogs. I couldn’t make sense of it.
Eventually, I stopped. Up ahead, I could see it—a massive city of black and green, spiraling upward like a coil. At its highest point was a gigantic serpent’s head, spectacular and imposing. The twelve dogs behind me were already panting heavily.
I’d checked on them several times; two of them had a slight increase in ghostly energy, but it was nowhere near proportional to the food they’d eaten. If I wanted them to survive, I’d have to find them a huge amount of food.
Just then, the whiskers on my face twitched—I felt a rush of air. With a whoosh, the Tabby Cat King appeared before me, one hand raised, a sharp claw picking at his teeth, looking thoroughly satisfied.
"Why’d you bring a dozen old, sick, and crippled dogs here, Fat Cat? Haven’t had dog meat in ages."
At his words, the dogs behind me panicked. I quickly stood up and began explaining what they’d just told me.
"Not my problem. Just let me eat them—it’ll save them from suffering."
I immediately held back the Tabby Cat King.
"Don’t you want to know what’s causing the changes in them? And what happened to them in Hell..."
"What’s it got to do with me?"
The Tabby Cat King’s whole face twisted into a snarl. His tail lashed, tongue flicking out to lick his nose.
"Wait a moment."
Just then, the Spirit Snake emerged from my body. The Tabby Cat King dropped his savage demeanor and waved his hand in resignation.
"You few, come with me. If you want to eat, I’ll take you to get your fill. As for the rest, I won’t interfere—it’s your own business. Don’t drag me into it. I’ve done my part as a go-between."
As the Tabby Cat King spoke, the dogs still looked terrified. I glanced over at them.
"Alright, I get it. I won’t eat them. I’ll make sure they’re fed."
The Spirit Snake stood quietly before me, seemingly waiting for something. I gazed at Serpent City in the distance—no sign of change yet. But suddenly, I sensed something. In a blink, a snake appeared before my eyes.
But calling it a snake wasn’t quite right—it was more like a lizard, with hands and feet, but its body was that of a black python. Like the Spirit Snake, its eyes were golden-red.
"I never thought I’d see my other half in this lifetime. How strange. Why have you turned black—and become the ghost soul of a Blue Wraith?"
The Serpent King looked at me. I said nothing. The Spirit Snake shot me a glance, and I moved ten meters away, sitting down under a tree.
"I came to ask for your help. John Chou is trapped inside the Bullhorn King's Shadow Realm. We hope you can help us find the entrance."
The Serpent King’s gaze was icy as he flicked his tongue, silent. The rounded head and golden triangle mark on his forehead were just like when I first met the Spirit Snake.
"Let me ask you again—why did you turn black?"
"No reason. You should already know—why make me say it?"
The Serpent King turned and slowly floated upward, his limbs fading away until he became a pure snake.
"If you won’t talk, then let’s pretend we never met."
With a whoosh, the Spirit Snake flew straight to the Serpent King, blocking his path.
"How could I know your mess? You haven’t tried to reach me in ages. I didn’t know why, but when that dead cat told me, I couldn’t believe it. Only just now, sensing your aura, I was shocked. I don’t know what you’re thinking. As snakes, we shouldn’t be so easily swayed. Serpent Hall is now a dead sea and desert—this is the result of your reckless actions. When our task ends, even our home will be gone. Ha."
The Spirit Snake said nothing, just lowered his head, eyes full of helplessness.
"I hope you’ll help us. Only you can."
"Impossible. If John Chou regains the Bloodbane Power now, you know full well what’ll happen to the Sanzu Force. Are you trying to deny the Saint of the Underworld’s sacrifice?"
My heart jolted—I stood up.
"What do you mean? Isn’t the Saint of the Underworld fine...?"
The Serpent King turned his head and looked at me.
"We haven’t seen the Saint of the Underworld in ages. Years ago, after the Sanzu Force was corrupted by Bloodbane Power, he split his body into three parts to stabilize the Sanzu Force, making the Bloodbane Power repel itself instead of attracting. If you still hold his teachings in your heart, accept your fate—this has nothing to do with you."
I could see the struggle in the Spirit Snake’s eyes, but for some reason, he lifted his head.
"Maybe I once agreed with the Saint of the Underworld’s Buddhist verses, but you all know the truth. The Sanzu Force is just barely hanging on—there’s been no reincarnation for years. Now it’s only dying, dragging on. Others might not understand, but you know better than anyone: you gave false hope to the beasts of the Animal Realm."
The Serpent King flicked his tongue, his gaze growing even colder and more ruthless.
"You have your mission. As the Sixth Zodiac Spirit of the Zodiac Twelve, you exist for humanity—a sacred being. But now you’ve betrayed yourself, betrayed the gods’ hopes, betrayed humanity, and chosen to side with this ghost. You’ve lost your right to be a sacred spirit. You are the shame of the Zodiac Twelve."
"You’re right. But let me be clear: it wasn’t that incident that changed me. It was the man behind me—Ethan Zhang—who influenced me."
I stared in shock. The Spirit Snake turned and smiled at me.
"I agree with everything about him. The path of coexistence is real. In him, I see the shadow of coexistence."
"So what do you want to do?"
The Spirit Snake’s body began to change, swelling larger and larger, until I couldn’t even see my own shadow.
"Ethan, lend me all your strength."
"Take it. If you’re fighting for what you believe in."
The Spirit Snake tilted his head slightly. A soft "thank you" echoed in my mind.
Two dazzling beams of black and green light flashed. Two giant pythons appeared outside Serpent City—one with red markings, the other with black and green. Both had a golden triangle on their heads.